HP/LOTM: Hogwart's Mind Dragon

The rumor that Harry Potter had single-handedly forced back the monster in the Chamber of Secrets spread throughout Hogwarts like wildfire.

When Aiden came out of the Room of Requirement, Oliver was already waiting for him at the door.

"Aiden, there's something I wanted to ask you..."

"It's about a wand, isn't it?" Aiden interjected smoothly.

"Yes," Oliver said, his eyes full of urgency. "I don't have much money right now, but I'm willing to sign a contract to work for you in the future to pay it back."

"No, mate," Aiden said, his beautiful heterochromatic eyes seeming to shine with a different kind of brilliance. Oliver felt himself becoming captivated by his gaze. "I can help you customize a wand, but as a price, I hope you will join us."

"Okay," Oliver agreed, as if in a trance.

"Good," Aiden said. "Then swear after me: 'Outsider who does not belong to this world, Great Ruler of the Sea of Consciousness, Grey-White Dragon who controls the mind, I voluntarily join the Twilight Hermit Society, adhere to the truth, and strive to maintain peace.'"

After the oath was completed, Oliver was officially a member. Aiden took a metal wand from his pocket and tossed it to him.

"That's it?" Oliver asked, feeling a bit strange. "Don't you need to measure my data? Or do some kind of 'wand chooses the wizard' thing?"

"I suspect there's a hidden meaning in your words," Aiden said, putting his hands together and feigning a cute expression. "But, dear Oliver, we are roommates. I know your data like the back of my hand."

Oliver swallowed hard. "You... you haven't been secretly dissecting us at night, have you?"

"How could I?" Aiden's eyes curved into crescent moons. "We are beloved friends, after all."

After seeing Oliver off, Aiden went to the Great Hall. Inside, Ernie Macmillan was still vigorously telling anyone who would listen that the whole Chamber of Secrets affair was Harry's trick and that everyone should be careful not to become accomplices of the next Dark Lord.

'This guy is really keen on spreading rumors about Harry,' Aiden thought, raising an eyebrow. He took out his monocle, put it on, and turned on the recording function, aiming it at Ernie. He planned to include the footage in a Pensieve stone when the truth was finally revealed, for the future reference of all Gryffindor students.

Suddenly, a large face appeared in front of his lens. "Aiden, when did you start wearing glasses?" Ethan asked, a chicken leg dangling from his mouth.

"To allow me to see my life more clearly," Aiden replied, the corners of his mouth curling up.

"Oh, you sly dog," Edmund said, exposing him. "Those are self-made glasses with a recording function. You wore them on the day of the hearing."

"Am I not recording life?" Aiden blinked, then picked up a piece of roast meat from a nearby platter.

Edmund and Ethan just smiled at each other and said nothing more. Aiden continued to record Ernie, who was still ranting at the Gryffindor table.

Time passed quickly, and Christmas arrived in the blink of an eye. Snow began to fall, and the leaves of the Forbidden Forest were all gone, adding a stark, solemn beauty to Hogwarts. During the Christmas holiday, Aiden submitted a leave request to Professor Flitwick, preparing to go home. It was time. His role-playing as a normal student was coming to an end.

Aiden Apparated to Diagon Alley and went to J. Pippin's Potions, where the clerk, Vincent, was standing at the counter as usual.

"Hey, Vincent, Merry Christmas," Aiden waved.

"Oh, it's Aiden! Long time no see, Merry Christmas!" Vincent showed a practiced, businesslike smile as his patron entered the shop. "Come on, what are you buying today?"

"An adult dragon's brain, a dragon's pituitary gland, Nundu blood, lizard spinal fluid, Erumpent hide, Whomping Willow branches, belladonna, and dragon blood," Aiden rattled off the list.

"Well, not much different from last time," Vincent said, looking at the list and turning to gather the materials. "Okay, that's everything. Can you check it?" He placed the packed materials on the table.

"How much?" Aiden raised an eyebrow. The experienced Vincent no longer dared to falsely inflate the price.

"Ahem, forty-two Galleons," he said quickly. "See for yourself. I definitely didn't overcharge."

Aiden paid the money happily, left Diagon Alley with the materials, and returned to the Prewett family's old house. That night, he took out the potion ingredients and began to extract their properties.

"System, assist."

[Ding. Heh. Material properties extracted and synthesized: Mind Dragon pituitary gland, Black Hunt Great Lizard's spinal fluid, Psychedelic Belladonna fruit, adult Mind Dragon's brain, and Mind Dragon's blood.]

Aiden put the Mind Dragon's brain and blood into a glass bottle. Under the stimulation of his magic, the ingredients coalesced, forming the extraordinary characteristics of a Dream Walker. He added pure water, and a new potion was made.

"Ophelia," he summoned his messenger owl and tore a single feather from her tail.

"Ah! That hurts, you little monster!" she shrieked before Aiden drove her out of the room.

"The last step," he thought. "I need a powerful emotional anchor." He began to examine his memories but soon found that his past was too placid. From the moment he had advanced on the Visionary Pathway, his emotions had always remained stable, and he rarely experienced large fluctuations due to the outside world.

"Perhaps this is a hidden danger, buried because my path has been too smooth," Aiden mocked himself as he wandered through his memories. As he traced them back, he finally stopped in front of a single, shining scene.

"That is...?" Aiden's eyes became a little blurry.

[Ding. That is the scene of the host just arriving in this world. Experiencing the transformation of life and death, and the joy of regaining a new life. Does the host wish to watch it?]

"Yes. Of course."

Aiden plunged into the memory. He was returning from the cold silence of death to a bright, new world. He was breathing again. The pure, unadulterated joy of descending into the world once more surrounded him.

In reality, Aiden drank the potion. The taste was peculiar—a little sour, a little sweet, a little bitter, a little psychedelic, and a little stimulating, like a wanton dream.

In his confusion, he saw his previous self. His family and friends from his past life were sitting at a round dining table, and the only empty seat seemed to be reserved for him. They sent an invitation to him, but Aiden didn't go over. He just smiled and looked at them.

'Has my past life become nothing more than a play for me to watch?' he thought.

He waved gently to his family and said, "Goodbye."

The next moment, the dream shattered. Aiden felt himself falling from the clouds, plummeting toward the earth. During the fall, he saw an endless, roiling sea, and in its depths, six different colored rays of light flickered ominously.

With a loud thud, his head hit the ground.

Aiden struggled to get up. "Why do I have to fall to the ground every time I advance?" he asked the System. "Do you have any idea?"

[Perhaps you have a deep connection with the floor?]

"Wow," Aiden said with a disgusted expression. "You didn't even say 'Ding.' How bland."

[Heh.]

(End of Chapter)

***

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